China Garden Restaurant in Rossyln, Va

I’ve been driving past China Garden, a second story restaurant in Rossyln, Va., for a while now. Happily, we finally ate a big dinner there with three friends. I recommend you do the same soon, too.  Or with more friends. If you have eight or more in your party, you’ll be placed at a large table with a lazy susan in the center so you can better share dishes. Next time.

Besides delicious (although not particularly pretty) steamed meat and vegetable dumplings, here’s what we had: 

Fried meat dumplings

Sichuan pork 

Spinach with crab

Fried duck stuffed with taro

Codfish special

Cargo in Portland, Oregon

Looking for imported goods usually made - and sold - in China? Check out Cargo in Portland, Oregon.

Pollution in China

Xi'an

Xi'an

Pollution in China is a serious problem. There was a burst of attention to the situation in June when the Chinese government said that foreign embassies should refrain from tracking the pollution (read more from BBC.)

When we were in Hong Kong and China this December/January, we were first struck by the haze around Hong Kong. But nothing prepared us for what appeared to be a snow storm when we debarked the plane in Xi’an. The world was covered in a white film. Our sense of distance fell away since it was hard to see very far ahead. We lost our depth perception. In the city itself, we’d look out a window and notice the buildings across the street were blurry from the thick pollution.

Between eye drops, Benadryl, Sudafed, and cough drops, we were able to walk, although more slowly than usual, and mostly keep our coughing at bay. A friend suggested later that a saline nose rinse could help, too. The locals mostly wore face masks. In Xi’an, we noticed drivers using what looked like snow brushes to sweep the white film away from the windows. While spitting on the streets may be cultural, it also seemed necessary in this environment. 

Not every city was the same. Xiamen, a city on the coast, had the best air quality of the cities we visited. Hangzhou, a beautiful city with lakes, bridges and parks, was described by the New York Times as “misty,” but it seemed to us to be more polluted. Perhaps it appears romantic, but it is dangerous for its residents, visitors, plants and animals.  

For more on the air quality in China, including data from various cities, visit the Department of State website.

For more photos, scroll down.

Xi'an

Xi'an

Xi'an

Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Hangzhou

Possible Scam: Practice English With Me?

Waiting for the flag-lowering ceremony in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square this January, two apparent college students struck up a conversation with us. They described how they were going to study English in the U.S. and wanted to practice speaking with us. We had a friendly chat; they spoke English quite well, in fact. But then they started to ask very specific details about where we were staying and to hang out later so they could practice their English skills.

While being suspicious of everyone you meet isn’t the best way to make friends, their approach reminded us of the "Practice English Scam" China Mike had warned against. Claiming we didn’t have an international phone on us and were busy that evening, I asked for their phone number instead of giving them ours. We turned away for a moment to watch some action in the square and then the girls were gone. Perhaps our instincts were right.

Or maybe they thought we were rude. A number of people came up to us periodically to have a short chat in English and no one else asked to continue the conversation elsewhere. I’ll never forget walking through a museum and finding a man was singing up to my husband, “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…” He sang a few more songs to prove that he indeed spoke English. And sang it, too.

More on this potential scam, and others, from the Department of State website:

Con artists targeting visitors are also common in popular tourist sites. A common scam involves younger Chinese “English students,” often women or a couple, offering a local tour and an invitation to tea at a nearby restaurant. When the bill comes, the restaurant owners force victims to pay an exorbitant bill before they can leave the premises.  

Danger! The slope is slippery.

Before we left, we blogged about trying (fairly unsuccessfully) to learn some Chinese (simplified version.) We also shared some mis-translated signs we found online.

As someone who made endless mistakes while living in Italy, I share these with great respect for how hard it is to speak or write one language, let alone two. That said, a good laugh is healthy.

Thanks to our Xi'an hotel for the "shake condoms."

Soda for my husband?

This tree might give you electric shock.

Need some?

We couldn't find the National Backbone.

"Happy is the tender grass when here your feet do not trespass!"

Invisible pants are very important. 

Do not carry on smelly goods. 

Helen Keller glasses, anyone? Anyone?

Don't.

Got it? Do that.

Sometimes you have to go backwards. 

Blind masseurs are the best kind. 

Looking for a new, fragrant home?

That was one fine toilet. 

Congratulations!

Ouch.

Get ready... 

Who wants a peach?

You can't recycle everything.